Is Civil War veteran Irene Triplett still alive?
(Timothy H. O'Sullivan/Library of Congress/AP) UPDATE, May 26, 2017: Randy Noller, a spokesman for the Department of Veterans Affairs confirmed Irene Triplett is still alive. The Civil War ended more than 150 years ago, but the U.S. government is still paying a veteran's pension from that conflict.
How did Irene Triplett die?
He was just a few weeks away from turning 84. On Sunday, Irene Triplett died at Accordius Health, a long-term-care facility in Wilkesboro, N.C., at the age of 90. A relative said she’d broken her hip a few days earlier and died of complications.
How did Irene Triplett become the last pensioner?
Irene Triplett, 90, died May 31 at a nursing care facility in Wilkesboro, North Carolina. Several improbable developments came together to make her the last pensioner; she received $73.13 a month from the Department of Veterans Affairs, according to news reports.
Was Mose Triplett married to Irene Triplett's mother?
Mose Triplett married Elida Hall, his second wife and Irene Triplett's mother, in 1924. Mose Triplett was nearly 50 years older than Elida, and he was weeks away from turning 84 when Irene Triplett was born in 1930.
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Are any Civil War veterans still alive?
Albert Henry Woolson (February 11, 1850 – August 2, 1956) was the last known surviving member of the Union Army who served in the American Civil War; he was also the last surviving Civil War veteran on either side whose status is undisputed.
Who was the last surviving Confederate soldier?
In Lee's Last Retreat: The Flight to Appomattox, historian William Marvel identified Private Pleasant Riggs Crump, of Talladega County, Alabama, who died December 31, 1951, as the last confirmed surviving veteran of the Confederate States Army.
How many children of Civil War vets are alive?
MONTAGNE: There are fewer than 35 known living children of Civil War veterans. Many were born under circumstances like Iris Jordan's. Her parents, both widowed, met later in life.
When was the last Civil War pension paid out?
The last Union pensioner was Albert Woolson who died in 1956, but that was not the end of Civil War pensions. The last known widow died in 2008 and there were still at least two dependents receiving benefits in 2012. For widows, eligibility rules focused on date of marriage and if they had remarried.
Did any Civil War veterans fight in ww2?
By the time the United States entered World War II, however, the Civil War veterans time had passed, and with their memory went so many of their numbers. In 1942, just over 500 Civil War veterans were on the rolls of the Grand Army of the Republic.
Is anyone from ww1 still alive?
The last combat veteran was Claude Choules, who served in the British Royal Navy (and later the Royal Australian Navy) and died 5 May 2011, aged 110. The last veteran who served in the trenches was Harry Patch (British Army), who died on 25 July 2009, aged 111.
Who was the last child of a Civil War veteran?
Irene may also have been the last surviving child of a Civil War veteran. In 2017, 97-year-old Fred Upham died.
Who was the longest living Civil War veteran?
Albert Henry WoolsonWoolson family archives, Duluth, Minnesota. Used with the permission of the Woolson family. Albert Henry Woolson had outlived over two million Civil War Union Army comrades when he died in Duluth on August 2, 1956, at the age of 106. At his death, he was recognized as the last surviving Union Army veteran.
Who was the last person to get a Civil War pension?
Irene TriplettIrene Triplett (January 9, 1930 – May 31, 2020) was the last recipient of an American Civil War pension. Her father had fought for both the Confederacy and later the Union in the Civil War.
Did Civil War widows get a pension?
The federal government did not grant pensions to Confederate veterans or their dependents, however, southern state governments granted pensions to Confederate veterans and widows. Veterans filed for pensions in the state where they were living at the time, not the state from which they served.
How much money do war widows get?
War Widows/ers Pension (WWP) and Income Support Supplement (ISS) WWP is paid to compensate widowed partners and dependants of veterans who have died as a result of war service or eligible defence service. As at June 2002, the fortnightly rate of WWP is $446.80.
Is the U.S. still paying for the Civil War?
An Associated Press analysis of federal payment records found that the government is still making monthly payments to relatives of Civil War veterans — 148 years after the conflict ended.
How did Irene Triplett die?
On Sunday, Irene Triplett died at Accordius Health, a long-term-care facility in Wilkesboro, N.C., at the age of 90. A relative said she’d broken her hip a few days earlier and died of complications. She never married, and her only brother had died in 1996.
What is Triplett's story?
Triplett’s story is a powerful reminder that the Civil War wasn’t that long ago, said Columbia University historian Stephanie McCurry. “Just like the Confederate monuments issue, which is blowing up right now, I think this is a reminder of the long reach of slavery, secession and the Civil War,” she said.
How many widows are still alive from the Spanish American War?
Many more widows and children of other long-ago soldiers are still alive. According to VA, there are 33 surviving spouses and 18 children receiving pension benefits related to the 1898 Spanish-American War. Advertisement.
When was Irene born?
Then Irene was born on Jan. 9, 1930, but had mental disabilities, according to the newspaper. She was 8 when her father died on July 18, 1938, at the age of 92. His headstone reads: “He was a Civil War soldier.”.
Who discovered that Triplett was earning the benefit?
One of the piece’s researchers, Jerry Orton , of Syracuse, N.Y., a member of the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War, first discovered that Triplett was earning the benefit in the late 1980s, after he’d embarked on a research project on surviving widows and children of Civil War soldiers. He’d gotten her name from the Veterans Administration.
Did Triplett get a Civil War pension?
The jaw-dropping fact that someone in the year 2020 was still earning a Civil War pension was the result of two factors: First, Triplett suffered cognitive impairments, qualifying her for the lifelong pension as a helpless adult child of a veteran. Second, her father, Mose Triplett, who’d served as a private in the Confederate Army ...
Who is Irene Triplett's father?
Triplett’s father, Pvt. Mose Triplett, fathered her during his second marriage when he was just a few weeks away from turning 84 years old. And Irene, who suffered from mental disabilities, qualified for the pension as a helpless adult child of a veteran, receiving $876 a year.
How much did Irene Triplett get paid?
Irene Triplett had collected a $73.13 check every month — a century and a half after the war ended — up until her death at the age of 90 on Sunday, according to her obituary in The Wall Street Journal.
Why did Mose Triplett die?
She passed away due to complications with a surgery in a North Carolina nursing home where she resided. Mose Triplett fought for both sides in the war. First, he enlisted in the Confederacy, fighting for two North Carolina infantries.
Who was the father of Irene Triplett?
Triplett’s father, Mose Triplett, was born in 1846 and joined the Confederate forces in 1862 before deserting and signing up with the Union. In the 1920s, he married a women 50 years his junior, who later gave birth to Irene.
Who is Triplett's father?
Triplett’s father, Mose Triplett, was born in 1846 and joined the Confederate forces in 1862 before deserting ...
How old was Irene Triplett when she died?
Irene Triplett, 90, died May 31 at a nursing care facility in Wilkesboro, North Carolina. Several improbable developments came together to make her the last pensioner; she received $73.13 a month from the Department of Veterans Affairs, according to news reports.
Who was Irene Triplett?
Irene Triplett was the daughter of a soldier who fought for both the Union and the Confederacy. Civil War veteran Moses Triplett, second from right, with his first wife, Mary, sitting to his left. After Mary's death in the 1920s, Triplett married Elida Hall, 50 years his junior.
What happened to Moses Triplett?
Although Triplett generally didn't discuss the war, the veterans group researched her family. Moses Triplett deserted the Confederacy in 1863, after becoming ill and being hospitalized while his unit was marching in Virginia. It was on its way to Gettysburg for the famous battle, St. Andrew said.
What did Irene Triplett say about her parents?
"I wanted to get away from both of them,” Irene Triplett told the Wall Street Journal in 2014, speaking of her parents, who, she alleged, would physically abuse her. “I wanted to get me a house and crawl in it all by myself."
When did Moses Triplett join the Union?
Triplett joined the Union Army in 1864 . “He served his time out with the Union so he would get a pension,” his grandson, Charlie Triplett of North Wilkesboro, North Carolina, told the Journal. Moses Triplett was discharged in 1865.
When was the last time a Confederate veteran died?
The last known Confederate and Union veterans died in the 1950s; the last known widow of a veteran died in 2004. "Irene was about as close as you could get to a Civil War soldier,” St. Andrew said. “We always tried to give her respect and honor her for her situation and also for her life.".
Who was Triplett's wife?
Late-life marriage pushed pension into 21st century. In 1924, Triplett, at 83, married Elida Hall, who was nearly 50 years his junior. It was his second marriage, according to news reports; his first wife died in 1923. Such an age disparity in marriages wasn't entirely unusual at the time.
When did Moses Triplett's wife die?
According to that report and others, Moses Triplett's first wife died sometime in the early 1920s. He married Elida Hall, Irene's mother in 1924. Triplett was nearly 50 years older than his wife. Moses Triplett died in 1938. According the Journal, both of the Triplett women had mental disabilities.
What is the significance of Triplett's pension?
Triplett's pension reflects a call Abraham Lincoln made at the conclusion of his Second Inaugural address, which was delivered in the final weeks of the Civil War.
What is the Civil War pension for Triplett?
For Triplett, 87, the Civil War means a monthly check for $73.13 from the Department of Veterans Affairs. Triplett is the sole surviving person to be receiving a Civil War pension from the VA. It was not uncommon during the Great Depression for elderly Civil War veterans to marry much younger nurses or caregivers for financial reasons.
Is Triplett still alive?
Citing privacy laws, the VA wouldn't say where Triplett is living now, but it confirmed that she is alive and continues to receive her monthly pension benefits. The last surviving Civil War veteran died in 1956 at the age of 109, according to the VA. The last Civil War widow died in 2008 at the age of 93.
When did the last Civil War widow die?
The last Civil War widow died in 2008 at the age of 93. Triplett is not the only person receiving benefits tied to service in 19th century wars. According to the VA, 84 surviving spouses and children receive benefits tied to the Spanish-American War, which was fought in 1898.
Did Irene Triplett live in the same nursing home?
Irene Triplett lived in the same nursing home until 2013, when she moved to a nearby skilled-nursing facility, the Journal reported. Veterans Affairs facing $1 billion shortfall because of unexpected Choice program costs.
How old is Irene Triplett?
Irene Triplett – the 86-year-old daughter of a Civil War veteran – collects $73.13 each month from her father's military pension. The identity of Triplett was first reported by The Wall Street Journal in 2014. "VA has an obligation to take care of our nation’s veterans no matter how long.
How old was Mose Triplett when Irene was born?
Mose Triplett was 83 when Irene was born, nearly 87 when her brother Everette came along. Mose Triplett died a few days after returning from the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg in 1938. His wife and daughter went to go live in public housing, and his son ran away. Elida Triplett died in 1967.
How many grandchildren does John Tyler have?
President John Tyler Has 2 Living Grandsons. As the United States continues fighting the lengthiest war in its history – the campaign in Afghanistan – it is worth considering how long the consequences of U.S. military action reverberate.
Who was the last widow of a Civil War veteran?
The last Confederate widow, Maudie Hopkins died on Aug. 1, 2008, at age 93. The last Union widow, Gertrude Janeway, died Jan. 17, 2003, also at age 93. The last Civil War veterans themselves, both Union and Confederate, ...
Is a North Carolina woman still receiving her Civil War pension?
A North Carolina woman is the daughter of a Civil War veteran, and still collects his benefits. U.S. Still Paying a Civil War Pension. Federal troops gather in front of the Appomattox Court House near the time of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee's surrender to Union Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant in Appomattox, Va., in 1865.
Is Irene Triplett still alive?
(Timothy H. O'Sullivan/Library of Congress/AP) UPDATE, May 26, 2017: Randy Noller, a spokesman for the Department of Veterans Affairs confirm ed Irene Triplett is still alive.
